Pablo Negron of Albany, the director of the Disability Resource Center at Hudson Valley Community College, was recently presented with the State University of New York's highest administrative honor, the Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service.

When Negron became director of the Disability Resource Center in 1980, Hudson Valley served 40 students with known disabilities. In the fall of 2001, Hudson Valley Community College served 450 students with known disabilities.

"The enormous leap in numbers over the last 21 years can be directly tied to Pablo Negron and his quest to make the campus environment one in which everyone has an equal opportunity to learn and excel," said John Buono, president of the college. "Under Pablo's stewardship, Hudson Valley has become a flagship for other higher-education institutions. He has shown them how to provide the best possible services to the disabled-student population. "

Negron, who authored the nationally recognized Reasonable Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities, coordinates an "Abilities Awareness" program at Hudson Valley each year. He has secured numerous grants to enhance the college's accessibility; he has installed a state-of-the-art computer lab in the Disability Resource Center; he was influential in the development of a wheelchair-accessible fitness room on campus; and he oversaw an intensive disability-compliance audit at Hudson Valley last year.

Negron received a bachelor's degree from UAlbany.

Hudson Valley Community College, located in Troy, offers more than 50 degree and certificate programs in four academic divisions: Business; Engineering and Industrial Technologies; Health Science; and Liberal Arts and Sciences; and an Educational Opportunity Center for academic and career training. One of 30 community colleges in the State University of New York system, it has an enrollment of more than 10,000 students, and is known as a leader in distance learning initiatives and workforce training.